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Battery "E", 1st Illinois Light Artillery Regiment
Battery "E", 1st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Light Artillery was an artillery battery that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It played a minor but noteworthy role in the Battle of Shiloh, and was mentioned in General William T. Sherman's after-action report on the battle. It also served at Vicksburg, Brice's Crossroads, Nashville and in several other engagements in the Western Theater of the war. Recruitment Battery "E" was mustered into service at Camp Douglas, in Chicago, Illinois, on December 19, 1861. Its members came primarily from Cook County. On February 13, 1862, they moved to Cairo, where they were issued with horses, artillery and other necessary equipment.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E Battle of Shiloh Initial deployment , morning of April 6, 1862. Battery E served in General Sherman's Fifth Division, near Shiloh Church on the west side of the Union line.]] On March 27, 1862, Battery E travelled by boat to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, arriving on the 30th.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E Joining Brig. General William T. Sherman's Fifth Division in Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee (together with its sister unit, Battery "B"), the battery was not assigned to a specific brigade for the upcoming Battle of Shiloh, on April 6–7, 1862.Official Records, Series I, Volume X, Part 1, pages 100-108Official Records, Series I, Volume X, Part 1, pages 93-98 During this engagement, Battery E fielded four James Rifles, a rifled bronze artillery piece that proved popular during the early stages of the war, but later fell out of favor due to the excessive wear that combat service imposed upon rifled bronze cannon. According to one history of this engagement, Battery E was entirely inexperienced, having received its horses only ten days before the battle, and having drilled with them only three times.Shiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pp. 88. , 2006. Battery E was located across a ravine adjacent to this church. ]] According to General Sherman's After-action report, he placed Battery E on a ridge to the left of Shiloh Church, covering a section of open ground between the 57th Ohio Infantry and the 53rd Ohio, near a house called the Rea Cabin.Sherman's Official Report of the Battle of ShilohShiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pp. 74-75. It was the 53rd Ohio's colonel, Jesse J. Appler, who had earlier tried to warn Sherman of large Confederate forces to his front, only to be told: "Take your damned regiment back to Ohio. There is no enemy nearer than Corinth!"Sherman's Folly At Shiloh The next morning would prove Sherman fatally wrong, as he and the rest of the Union Army were attacked during breakfast by a large Confederate force under General Albert Sidney Johnston. During the coming battle, Battery E would be engaged in turn by elements of Patrick Cleburne's Second Brigade of Johnston's Third Corps, which was under the command of General William Hardee.The Battle of Shiloh, and the Organizations Engaged, by David W. Reed, pg. 13. It would also be engaged by elements of S.A.M. Wood's Third Brigade of the same corps, and later by elements of Patton Anderson's Second Brigade of the First Division of Braxton Bragg's Second Corps. Later, still, the battery would be engaged by two brigades from Leonidas Polk's First Corps, commanded by Bushrod Johnson and Robert M. Russell.The Battle of Shiloh, and the Organizations Engaged, by David W. Reed, pg. 13. Thus, Battery E would face units from all three of Johnston's main Army Corps during the course of the engagement. The battle begins When the battle began, one section (two guns) of Battery E deployed just to the right of the 53rd, which had abandoned its camp and moved into the edge of a treeline facing an open field. The other section remained to the left of the 53rd, as originally deployed. Across this field, Confederates of the 6th Mississippi Infantry and the 23rd Tennessee advanced rapidly toward them.Shiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pp. 74-75. Twelve Confederate guns from Shoup's Arkansas Battery opened up on the Federals,Shiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pp. 87. and after firing two rounds in reply, the section that had originally moved to the right was ordered by Sherman's chief of artillery, Major Ezra Taylor, to rejoin the rest of Battery E, on high ground to the left of the 53rd on the other side of Rea Springs and the east fork of Shiloh Branch.Shiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pp. 77. Sherman, who was on the scene as this attack unfolded, ordered Appler to hold his portion of the line, telling him that he had "a good battery" (E Battery) to protect him. He also sent for three additional regiments to protect "Waterhouse's Battery" (Battery E) and the left flank of his line.Sherman's Official Report of the Battle of Shiloh Sherman later reported that Battery E and a companion battery further to the right opened up "promptly" on the advancing Confederates along with the assembled infantry. In Sherman's words: "the battle became general".Sherman's Official Report of the Battle of Shiloh Battery E, together with Battery B of the 1st Illinois, fired into the Confederates advancing up the ridge toward Sherman's line, together with reinforcements crossing Rea Field ont to aid in the assault.Shiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pp. 87. The following is from Major Ezra Taylor's after-action report: Although inflicting severe losses on the attacking Southerners,Shiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pg. 78. The 6th Mississippi lost 300 out of 425 men assigned to that regiment in this attack. Appler's regiment ultimately broke and ran after its colonel lost his nerve, leaving Battery E unprotected and facing imminent annihilation by the Confederates.Sherman's Official Report of the Battle of Shiloh Wood's Brigade obliqued to the right to avoid Battery E's fire; they were quickly replaced in turn by Cleburne's and Anderson's brigades,The Battle of Shiloh, and the Organizations Engaged, by David W. Reed, pg. 14. which suffered horrendous losses at the hands of three Illinois regiments, including the 43rd Illinois, which immediately advanced to assist the artillerists.Sherman's Official Report of the Battle of Shiloh They too ultimately broke under the ferocity of the Southern assault led now by elements from Cleburne, Anderson, Russell and Johnson's brigades,The Battle of Shiloh, and the Organizations Engaged, by David W. Reed, pg. 14. including the 13th Tennessee.Sherman's Official Report of the Battle of Shiloh Retreat and regroup Viewing the imminent disintegration of his command, Sherman ordered the remnants of his division, including Battery E, to pull back and regroup on the Hamburg-Purdy Road, about 600 yards behind their current position.Shiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pp. 87. However, the battery had barely made 100 yards before Major Taylor rode up and ordered it to unlimber and resume firing, insisting that every inch of ground had to be contested: Waterhouse's attempt to comply with Taylor's order cost him three of his four guns, and resulted in the wounding of himself and his First Lieutenant.Shiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pp. 87.Sherman's Official Report of the Battle of Shiloh According to David Reed's history of the Battle, Battery E was engaged on its front by several different Southern regiments as the 13th Tennessee flanked it on the left side and attacked it from the rear, capturing its guns as the members beat a hasty retreat.The Battle of Shiloh, and the Organizations Engaged, by David W. Reed, pg. 14. Colonel (later General) Alfred Vaughan, commanding the 13th Tennessee, reported that when his regiment took possession of Battery E's guns they found "a dead Union officer lying near them, with a pointer dog that refused to allow the Confederates to approach the body."The Battle of Shiloh, and the Organizations Engaged, by David W. Reed, pg. 14. The remainder of Sherman's division (including Battery E, minus its three lost guns) finally stabilized their lines in conjunction with General John A. McClernand's First Division. The following morning the Federals counterattacked and the Southern army was forced to retreat to Corinth, giving the exhausted Northerners a victory in the bloodiest battle America had seen up to that time.Four Things You May Not Know About the Battle of Shiloh from History.com After the fight Sherman reported that during the battle, his division had captured seven guns to replace those lost to the enemy (three by Battery E, and four from other units) earlier in the engagement; Battery E was re-equipped with this captured ordinance.Sherman's Official Report of the Battle of Shiloh All told, the battery lost one man killed, sixteen wounded, and one missing during the two-day engagement.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E Historians Mark Grimsley and Steven Woodsworth opine that Battery E had performed "magnificently" during the battle, making "an important contribution to prolonging Sherman's stand here." "This is all the more remarkable," they go on to say, "considering the complete lack of experience of Watherhouse's men."Shiloh, A Battlefield Guide, pg. 88. Lieutenant J.A. Fitch, who took command of the Battery after Captain Waterhouse was wounded, filed the following after-action report with Major Taylor: A series of aerial photographs depicting the exact location of "Waterhouse's Battery" and other adjacent units may be seen at Hike Report: The Battle For Shiloh Church. Ground-level photos may be seen here. Corinth to White Station Corinth and subsequent movements Following the Battle of Shiloh, Battery E moved with the rest of Sherman's division toward Corinth, Mississippi, which was occupied on May 29, 1862. Following this, they made their way down the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, skirmishing with Confederates along the way until they reached Memphis. Here they went into camp at Fort Pickering, where they spent their time drilling with their artillery pieces and horses, seeking to improve their efficiency.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E During this time, the regiment received new recruits, one of whom was Private James Bolton Rice, whose letters to his wife paint a vivid picture of the battery's activities from the time he joined it to his discharge in 1865.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 1: 1860-62 Typewritten transcripts of privately held collection. On November 26, Battery E accompanied Sherman's expedition to Oxford, Mississippi, part of a larger operation undertaken by Grant against Confederate General John C. Pemberton's forces entrenched along the Tallahatchie River near Holly Springs.Memoirs of General William T. Sherman, ch. 12.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E The Federal force made twelve miles per day on average until it encountered Confederate obstructions near College Hill, near Oxford on December 7. These included trees felled across the road, and "every bridge burned."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 1: 1860-62 Letter of December 8, 1862. Private Rice offers a description of a typical day in Battery E during this campaign:.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 1: 1860-62 Letter of December 8, 1862. Some punctuation added by this author here, and in other Bolton quoteboxes as well. Pemberton's army fell back to Grenada without a fight, so Battery E continued with its division to Corinth. It entered Holly Springs, Mississippi sometime prior to January 4, 1863, where Rice describes a scene of devastation left behind by Confederate General Earl van Dorn's raid on the town on December 20, 1862: "broken guns, dead horses, several unburned men, pieces of shells, lights out of every window, government wagons and ambulances half burnt up. The great depot all gone, a train of cars burned upon the track. The air filled with the smoke and smell of burning cotton. Large brick buildings blown to atoms, pillaged houses and sick men laying beside the streets."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of January 4, 1863. White Station Battery E moved through Holly Springs and on to White Station, Tennessee, where it arrived on January 31, 1863 and encamped. In an effort to fight the cold conditions while wintering there in a Sibley tent, Private Rice describes heating two cast-iron wheels weighing forty pounds each in a fire until they became red-hot, then taking them into his tent, where according to him: "...they make it comfortable."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of February 6, 1863. During this time of relative quiet, Rice reports one muster where the battery commander asked all of the "weak-kneed ones" to step forward, as "we would be in a fight in only three hours."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of February 18, 1863. Four men answered this call—but another trooper who had been ordered to stay behind begged to change places with one of those being sent into battle, even offering "his last dollar" as an incentive, before being refused by every man in the battery.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of February 18, 1863. Apparently the battle did not materialize, as Rice makes no further mention of it. On February 19 and 20, the members of Battery E were witnesses to the burning of Hopefield, Arkansas, a small town across the river whose citizens had taken the Unionist Loyalty oath, but were secretly assisting local Confederate guerrillas. After several Federal soldiers had been murdered in or near the town, four companies of Northern troops attacked Hopefield and burnt the entire city to the ground. Though Battery E did not actively participate in this event, Rice described it as a "long-merited punishment."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of February 18, 1863. Returning to Memphis on March 14 of that same year, they took steamboats to Duckport, Louisiana, a (now vanished) landing on the Mississippi River a few miles northwest of Vicksburg, Mississippi.Duck Port Map Here, they rejoined the rest of Sherman's XV Corps, one of five corps assigned to Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee that was then preparing to embark on the famed Vicksburg Campaign.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E Sometime during the winter, according to Private Rice, Battery E was reduced from a six-gun battery to a four-gun battery, numbering 128 effectives.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 30, 1863. During its time at Vicksburg (see below) the battery was brought back up to its usual six-gun size once again.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Vicksburg campaign Battle of Jackson On May 2 the battery went to Grand Gulf, Mississippi; from thence they advanced toward Jackson, Mississippi, the capital of the state. The heat during this time was reportedly so intense that even "strong men" fell out of the march and "were left with some comrade to die or come on, as the case might be."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Dead horses and mules lay everywhere along the line of march, and Rice reports that Battery E lost six of its own horses to "sunstroke, and drinking poisoned water."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Reaching Jackson on May 10, Battery E and the rest of their corps were appalled to discover that the Confederates had disemboweled numerous mules and hogs, then thrown their carcasses into every pond and well to contaminate the water.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. The air, said he, was filled with the stench of dead animals and members of Battery E and others were detailed over the next two days to bury all the carcasses in the area.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Starting on May 10, Battery E commenced bombardment of the Confederate works at Jackson, beginning at 7am on that Sunday morning. Private Rice reported a bright sunny day, and said that fire and counter-battery fire continued for three hours "as if the heavens were at war with one another, and about to part."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Rice himself was nicked by an enemy shell, and others in the battery had what he referred to as "close calls," though no one was seriously hurt.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. On May 14, Battery E supported Sherman's final attack on Jackson. Advancing during a driving rainstorm across Lynch Creek, a rain-swollen stream that ran only two miles from the Mississippi State Capitol, the XV Corps quickly ran into the Third Kentucky Mounted Infantry, the First Georgia Sharpshooter Battalion and Captain Martin's Georgia Battery. The Federal advance was temporarily halted before Battery E and a companion battery from the 2nd Iowa responded in kind.Triumph and Defeat: the Vicksburg Campaign, Vol. 2, by Terrence J. Winchell, pg. 38. One Iowa soldier briefly described Battery E's role in this battle in these terms: The "accurate fire" from Battery E and the Iowa artillery, coupled with the overwhelming Federal advantage in manpower, quickly forced the Confederates to retreat into their defensive works; within a matter of a few hours, Sherman's XV Corps had entered Jackson.Triumph and Defeat: the Vicksburg Campaign, Vol. 2, by Terrence J. Winchell, pg. 38. The battery remained in Jackson until May 16, taking no part in the Battle of Champion Hill. and Confederate lines at Vicksburg]]. Action at Vicksburg On May 16, Battery E moved toward Vicksburg, the South's "Gibraltar of the West". It arrived on the 18th, where it took an active part in the siege as part of the Third Division of Sherman's XV Corps. Fielding four James Rifles and three captured 6-pound guns, it was assigned together with the 2nd Battery of Iowa Light Artillery as the division's artillery forceNational Park Service: Vicksburg National Military Park (Siege of Vicksburg: Union order of battle). near the northeast corner of the Confederate defensive line (currently located along Old Graveyard Road, between Union Ave. and Confederate Ave.).Historical Marker Transcription: Battery E, 1st Illinois Light Artillery, includes map and photo of marker. They supported the abortive Federal assault upon the "Stockade Redan" on May 22, which resulted in more than a thousand Federal casualties, and led to the awarding of 78 Medals of Honor to attacking soldiers.Battle of Vicksburg A photo of the exact location of Battery E's position at Vicksburg may be seen here. The larger page from which this photo was taken may be viewed here. On May 30, the battery was given a 30-pound Parrott rifle, which it retained until 3 June, when that gun was moved to a more advanced position at "Battery Jenny."Historical Marker Transcription: Battery E, 1st Illinois Light Artillery On 5 June, Battery E was ordered to trade its old artillery pieces in for six new 12-pound guns.Historical Marker Transcription: Battery E, 1st Illinois Light Artillery The battery was divided into three two-gun sections; two, under Lieutenants John Fitch and Orrin Cram, remained on the line. The third was moved up to an advanced battery.Historical Marker Transcription: Battery E, 1st Illinois Light Artillery By 7 June, Private Rice reported to his wife that the battery had been split between five different places, and only counted 96 men as fit for duty.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of June 7, 1863. In contrast to the starving Confederates inside Vicksburg—whose lack of food ultimately doomed their defense of the city, rather than the unsuccessful Federal assaults on their defensesStart of the Siege—and Starving—of Vicksburg—Battery E and the rest of the Union Army fared well with regard to victuals during the siege. Rice reported that he had to eat here: "flour, tea, coffee, sugar, hardtack, pork, dried apples, rice, beans and fresh beef every other day."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of June 7, 1863. He said that his favorite food was "flour and water mixed together as you would make batter, fry it in grease with meat, a cup of coffee, a hardtack and sugar; I make out a hearty meal."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of June 7, 1863. Artillerists as infantry Members of Battery E sometimes fought as sharpshooters and even infantry during the siege. Private Rice relates his own experience: On 22 June Battery E relocated with two infantry brigades from the 3rd Division to Bear Creek on the exterior line, where it remained until Vicksburg was surrendered by General Pemberton on July 4, 1863.Historical Marker Transcription: Battery E, 1st Illinois Light Artillery Throughout the siege, the Battery lost two killed and six wounded. Later operations in Mississippi Expedition to Brandon, Mississippi On July 5, 1863, the day after Vicksburg's surrender, a detachment from Battery E was ordered with elements of the 72nd Ohio Infantry, the 114th Illinois, the 8th Iowa and the 9th Iowa to proceed under the command of General Frederick Steele to Brandon, Mississippi. Here they were directed to locate and burn Confederate military stores and destroy the local railroad. The battery lost one of its three guns while crossing a pontoon bridge over the Pearl River, but the piece was recovered the next day.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Encountering Southern cavalry about six miles past the bridge, the battery's "war dogs" (to quote Private Rice) quickly drove them back.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Next came a report from Federal scouts that an enemy battery was on a nearby hill. Battery E was ordered to shell the hillside in an effort to find the enemy's position, while their escort watched from a nearby fence: Riding into Brandon, Battery E engaged Confederate scouts in a house there, "knocking out every window" there.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. They set fire to a storehouse and burned down an entire city block, then turned their attention to the railroad depot and nearby tracks which they equally destroyed.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Return to Jackson , Mississippi, July 10–16, 1863]] Following this event, Battery E returned to Jackson (which had been reoccupied by Confederate forces). Though harassed during their march by Southern units, Private Rice reported that they "kept out of range of our brass band. For when we play 'Dixie' on it, it makes them more than dance."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Upon arriving at Jackson they assisted in a nine-day siege, after which Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston evacuated the city.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E Jackson was described as a "doomed city" in the battle's aftermath, with Rice affirming that he and his comrades tore up and burned tracks and ties from five different railroads extending twenty miles out from the city in all directions.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Ordered to return to Vicksburg, Battery E and other units crossed the battlefield at Champion Hill, scene of a Federal victory about two months earlier. Rice describes how rain had washed away the soil used to cover the corpses of Confederate dead, who had simply been tossed into ditches on the battlefield by Federal troops and covered with a layer of dirt. He also describes men kicking at skulls, bones and clothing protruding from the half-opened graves.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of July 29, 1863. Bear Creek Having returned to Vicksburg, On July 23 Battery E went into camp on Bear Creek on Oak Ridge, where they were exceptionally troubled by chiggers and flies, not to mention the oppressive summer heat.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of August 10, 1863. This became their summer camp, and expeditions were made to Mechanicsburg, Miss., Canton, and other places. On November 5 they took boat for Memphis, arriving there the 12th. During that winter they went to Lagrange, Tennessee and also, Corinth, Jack Creek, back again to Corinth, then finally back to Memphis via Lagrange.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E Meridian expedition On February 6, 1864, Battery E was ordered to cooperate with a 7000-man cavalry column led by General William Sooy Smith, moving south from Memphis to link up with General Sherman's forces engaged in the Meridian Expedition. By this point, it had been equipped with six 12-pound Napoleon guns.Artillery types during Sherman's Meridian Expedition, Feb. 1864 On the 10th of February 1864 it fought in a skirmish at Wyatt, Tennessee, on the Tallahatchie River, but five days later the Battery was ordered back to Memphis and took no further role in the campaign.The War of the Rebellion. Back in Memphis, Battery E camped at the head of Main Street, near the city's Navy Yard. In April 1864 they went to Bolivar and Ripley, Mississippi in search of General Nathan Bedford Forrest; but their supplies soon ran out and they were forced to return to Memphis to refit.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E On May 5 the battery was attacked by local Confederates; these were beaten back, according to Rice, with "one of them receiving nine balls in his carcass."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol. 2, Letter of 25 May 1864. Rice never identifies the Confederate outfit, nor whether they were infantry, cavalry or otherwise. Disaster at Brice's Crossroads June 1, 1864, Battery E marched to Guntown, Mississippi, where it took part in the disastrous Battle of Brice's Crossroads on June 10. Together with the 9th Minnesota Infantry, the battery initially formed a reserve force deployed near the crossroads itself.Expedition From Memphis, Tenn into Mississippi, official after-action report of Col. William E. McMillian, commander 95th Ohio Infantry. Attacked by Confederates under General Forrest on both flanks at once, Colonel William McMillian, commanding the infantry on that portion of the field, ordered Battery E to sweep the Guntown Road with grapeshot and canister.Expedition From Memphis, Tenn into Mississippi, official after-action report of Col. William E. McMillian, commander 95th Ohio Infantry. Despite heroic efforts by the 9th Minnesota and other Federal units the Northern army was pushed back, with Col. McMillian ordering Battery E with Battery B of the Second Illinois Light Artillery to hold off the Rebels until the infantry could escape.Expedition From Memphis, Tenn into Mississippi, official after-action report of Col. William E. McMillian, commander 95th Ohio Infantry. The fleeing Federals became bottled up on a bridge just north of the crossroads, where they were raked by Confederate artillery as they struggled to cross the narrow structure. The retreat degenerated into a rout, and Forrest won one of the greatest victories in his career.The Battle of Brice's Crossroads, by Stewart Bennett, pg. 103. Battery E, which had been ordered to hold the crossroads itself at all costs, found itself stranded amidst the advancing Southern attack, deserted by all infantry support—but still firing without letup.The Battle of Brice's Crossroads, by Stewart Bennett, pg. 103. Captain John Fitch, commanding the battery in this battle, describes the scene amid the tangled underbrush and forest: "I could not see the enemy, but judged from their firing that they were very near. I immediately gave them canister with both pieces, as fast as I could load and fire."The Battle of Brice's Crossroads, by Stewart Bennett, pg. 103. Fitch and the rest of Battery E managed to hold their ground until the last of the Federal regiments had passed, though by this time they were being fired on from front, left and rear—including the garden of a plantation house only seventy-five feet away.The Battle of Brice's Crossroads, by Stewart Bennett, pg. 103. Incredibly, Battery E managed to limber its two guns and escape to the nearby creek, where they stormed through the water to the safety of a road on the other side.The Battle of Brice's Crossroads, by Stewart Bennett, pg. 103. Private Rice offered this detailed account of the engagement as he witnessed it from his section:Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, dated 13 June, 15 June and 21 June 1864. .]] Rice further indicates that Forrest harassed the retreating Federals throughout the following day until they finally reached the safety of Memphis. He reports that some Rebel prisoners being escorted to the rear during the battle, upon being asked where they were going, answered: "the same way you'll be going, in less than an hour." A wounded Federal soldier, watching this debacle unfold around him, tried to put his best spin on things by shouting: "ole Grant will make it up, in Virginia." Rice reports that when the butcher's bill was tallied, the battery had lost fifty horses, ten mules, three wagons, forty sets of harness, and four guns with their caissons. Two men of the battery were killed, three were wounded and four were missing. Rice attributed the defeat to the "drunkenness or incompetency of Sturgis," indicating that he and several other soldiers were inclined to believe he had deliberately sold them out.All quotations in this paragraph previous to this point are derived from the Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Volume 2, Letter of 21 June 1864. Despite all of this, Rice spoke of "aching to get at old Forrest again," promising to "make him git, when we do."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife: Letter of 30 June 1864. In his after-action report, Colonel Alexander Wilkin, commanding the 9th Minnesota, commended Captain Fitch of Battery E for the "judicious and gallant manner" in which he and his battery had conducted themselves during the battle.Report of Col. Alexander Wilkin, Commanding 9th Minnesota Infantry The battery returned to Memphis after the defeat, "every man for himself", with the men listed as "very much demoralized".History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E The battery next marched on Tupelo, and July 12 it fought at Pontotoc, Mississippi.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E On July 13, they were ambushed, losing one man wounded.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E On the 14th, the battery participated in the Battle of Tupelo, which resulted in a defeat for Forrest.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E Actions in Missouri On July 15, 1864, Battery E returned to Memphis. The cannon lost to Forrest were replaced with four Napoleons and two steel Rodmans.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife: Letter of 3 August 1864 On September 3, 1864, they took steamboats down the Mississippi to White River Gap and from thence to Duvall's Bluff, Arkansas. Marching through Arkansas swamps to Cape Girardeau under General J. A. Mower, they next travelled up the Missouri River to Jefferson City, Missouri where they joined in the Federal pursuit of Confederate General Sterling Price, who was then engaged in a campaign inside his home state.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E The Order of Battle for the Battle of Westport does not list this Battery, so it appears doubtful that they took part in this, the decisive battle of Price's doomed campaign. Rice reported that the people around Jefferson City were suffering a "perfect reign of terror," as "all them are Union."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife: Letter of 17 October 1864. The men had initially been ordered not to take any spare clothing or belongings other than a blanket during their initial deployment, thus all of them were miserable and several were even barefoot by the time they drew new uniforms in St. Louis.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife: Letter of 17 October 1864. Rations were often reduced to a quarter of the usual fare, with troopers forced to forage along the roadsides for "pumpkin sauce and beef."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letter of 1 February 1865. After Price's defeat at Westport near Kansas City, the Battery returned to St. Louis on November 15, 1864.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E Service at Nashville After drawing a new complement of horses, Battery E took boats for Nashville, Tennessee, where they served under General Thomas during Hood's siege of that city.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E In a letter dated 8 December 1864, Rice reports that "we have no firing along the line directly in front of us today, but the Johnnies can be seen plainly with a glass about three miles off, doing their camp duty." He goes on to relate his opinion of General Thomas and of his Confederate counterpart, General John Bell Hood:Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letters of 9 and 14 December 1864. Rice reports that the battery was well-supplied with sanitary supplies and rations during this time, and that many of its sick members were "improving in health."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letter of 10 December 1864. He equally reported that "damnable speculators" had driven up the price of food and stationary, with one sheet of paper being sold for five cents, and flour for $35 per barrel.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letter of 14 December 1864. Several original members of the battery were discharged at this point and sent home, while others were compelled to serve out extensions to their original three-year terms.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letter of 14 December 1864. On 15 December Thomas did exactly what Rice had predicted: he emerged from his trenches, and attacked Hood's army. Rice relates his experience of the ensuing battle:Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letter of 24 December 1864. If things had gone badly for Hood on the 15th, they would turn disastrous on the following day. Rice continues his account:Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letter of 24 December 1864. With this disaster, the once-mighty Army of Tennessee practically ceased to exist, playing no appreciable role during the rest of the Civil War. Battery E went into garrison duty at Nashville, where their meat rations were reduced by the Army to "3/4 of a pound man per day, also 3/4 ration of beans, coffee, sugar ... All the salt meat our detachment of 19 men drew for five days is 14 pounds and a little beef that no one but a soldier or a dog would think of eating ... This comprises our only food, except that now and then we draw onions, sour, heart, pickles, and potatoes in small quantities from the sanitary commission."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letter of 10 January 1865. One seven-by-eight foot wedge tent was provided for every three to four men in the battery; these were raised four feet off the ground on wooden platforms constructed by the troops, who then "embellished" them to suit the tastes of the occupants. Bunks and a fireplace were erected inside, and the floor covered with sawdust.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letters of 1 January and 2 March 1865. The battery redeployed to Chattanooga on 21 February 1865, "after a 24-hour ride over the roughest RR in the U.S."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letter of 21 February 1865. Rice reports that the train derailed at some point during its journey, but since it was only moving at ten miles-per-hour nobody was hurt.Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Letter of 21 February 1865. Muster out The battery's initial enlistments expired December 19, 1864, but these veterans were not mustered out of service until December 24, 1864, at Louisville, Kentucky.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. E New recruits were brought into replace those who had been discharged; these continued to serve until July 15, 1865, when they were discharged near Chattanooga, Tennessee.History of 1st Illinois Light Artillery, Co. Ehttp://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unilart1.htm#bate The Civil War Archive website after Dyer, Frederick Henry. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. 3 vols. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1959. Total strength and casualties The battery lost 5 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 25 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 30 fatalities.Dyer, 1959. Anecdotes Camp followers Private James Bolton Rice, whose letters home to his wife provide a vivid description of life and action in Battery E from 1862 to 1865, gives a picture of the seedier side of life in a Federal army camp during mid-1862: Rice followed this statement up with his own assurance of loyalty to his wife, telling her that this sight "disgusts me more than anything I see in the Army."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 1: 1860-62 Letter of September 28, 1862. On the march In a letter dated January 22, 1863, Rice describes what it was like to be on the march, on half-rations in the Federal army: Needless to say, conditions in the Confederate forces were even worse, as their logistics system was not nearly as well-supplied or developed as its Federal counterpart.What Did Civil War Soldiers Eat? Dissention in the ranks In another letter, Rice describes the antipathy many Federal soldiers felt following the issuance of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863: In subsequent paragraphs, Rice voraciously attacks Northern "Copperheads", referring to them as "damning traitors" and saying they should be "choked down and served as we serve them down here." He goes on to say that four men in his own regiment are Copperheads (in his estimation), describing them as "weak-kneed, weak-backed ones who were scared into the Service through fear of the draft." He ends, however on a note of guarded optimism that the government will overcome the "arch-traitors" and "rise like the morning mist, and show the world that America still stands with its government and institutions stronger better dearer than ever."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 2: 1863 Letter of January 30, 1863. Punctuation added for clarity. Grant and Sherman During the Siege of Vicksburg, Rice wrote down his impressions of Ulysses S. Grant's generalship, together with his opinion of the rampant rumors of his drunkenness earlier in the war: Rice later recorded his opinion of William T. Sherman's generalship, speaking of the "invincible Wm Sherman," and reporting that "wherever he goes, the soldiers greet him with cheer on cheers, shouting what the heroes of Vicksburg think of him ... suffice it that we are all willing to follow him to victory or death."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 3: 1864 Letter of 25 January 1864. Rice does not indicate how much this glowing opinion of his leaders was shared by his comrades in Battery E, or what their views might have been. His assessment of Grant's talent certainly proved well-founded, as Grant would be elevated to General-in-Chief of all Federal armies the following year, and go on to lead the North to victory two years later. Sherman would equally go on to success and fame in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The dark side Looting has been a pastime for soldiers of every century, and the Civil War was certainly no exception. Not all Union or Confederate troopers fit the popular image of a citizen-soldier fighting for a noble cause; some were simply criminals in uniform. Several such men seem to have found their way into Battery E and its sister units during the winter of 1863-64, as Private Rice relates in a letter to his wife: Rice further elaborates on gangs of muggers in the Union Army, whom he claimed would waylay anyone they met, high or low: Rice reported that few of these men were ever punished, mostly due to lack of evidence or the reluctance of fellow soldiers to testify against them (often from fear of reprisal).Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Vol 3: 1864 Letter of 15 January 1864. Philosophical ruminations In a letter to his wife dated 7 May 1864, Private Rice recorded his own thoughts on the Federal cause, what a Confederate victory would mean for the nation, and the rampant corruption in governmental and economic circles: In a letter written on the occasion of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Rice makes it clear that he did not consider Lincoln himself to be anything other than "the greatest statesman ... its most silent and sharpest legislator: one who possessed coolness, firmness and a just knowledge with the courage to enforce it which no other man in the length and breadth of this land possesses."Letters of James Bolton Rice to his wife, Volume 2, Letter of 16 April 1865. Commanders *Captain Allen C. Waterhouse - promoted to major. *Captain John A. Fitch - promoted to major. *Captain Orrin W. Cram - Mustered out with the battery.http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/acm/art-1e.htm Illinois in the Cvil war website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls Assignments and service Organizational assignments :Organized at Chicago, Ill., and mustered in December 19, 1861. :Moved to Cairo, Ill., February 13, 1862. :Attached to District of Cairo, Ill., to March, 1862. :Artillery, 5th Division, District of Memphis, Tenn., to November, 1862. :Artillery, 5th Division, District 1037 of Memphis, Tenn., Right Wing 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, November, 1862. :Artillery, 1st Division, District of Memphis, Tenn., 13th Army Corps, to December, 1862. :Artillery, 8th Division, 16th Army Corps, to March, 1863. :Artillery, 3rd Division, 15th Army Corps, to December, 1863. :Artillery, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps, to June, 1864. :Artillery, 1st Division, Sturgis' Expedition, June, 1864. :1st Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps, to December, 1864. :Artillery, 1st Division, Detachment Army of the Tennessee, Dept. of the Cumberland, to February, 1865. :Artillery Reserve, Dept. of the Cumberland, Chattanooga, Tenn., to July, 1865.Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick Dyer. Engagements and service :Duty at Paducah, Ky., till March, 1862. :Expedition from Paducah to Tennessee River and operations about Crump's Landing, Tenn., March 8–14. :Expedition to Yellow Creek, Miss., and occupation of Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., March 14–17. :Battle of Shiloh, Tenn., April 6–7. :Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. :March to Memphis, Tenn., via Lagrange, Grand Junction and Holly Springs, June 1-July 21. :Duty at Memphis, Tenn., till November. :Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign, November 2, 1862, to January 10, 1863. :Guard R. R. till March, 1863. :Moved to Memphis, thence to Duckport, La., March 12-April 1. :Demonstrations on Haines' and Snyder's Bluffs April 25-May 2. :Movement to join army in rear of Vicksburg, via Richmond and Grand Gulf, May 2–14. :Jackson, Miss., May 14. :Siege of Vicksburg May 18-July 4. :Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. :Expedition to Mechanicsburg May 26-June 4. :Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 4–10. :Siege of Jackson July 10–17. :Brandon Station July 19. :Camp at Big Black till November. :Expedition to Canton October 14–20. :Bogue Chitto Creek October 17. :Ordered to Memphis, Tenn., November 12, and duty guarding Railroad till January, 1864. :Expedition to Tallahatchie River February 5–19. :Coldwater Ferry February 8. :Near Senatobia February 8–9. :Wyatt's February 14. :At Memphis till April. :Sturgis' Expedition from Memphis to Ripley, Miss., April 30-May 9. :Sturgis' Expedition from Memphis into Mississippi June 1–13. :Brice's, or Tishamingo Creek, near Guntown, June 10. :Smith's Expedition to Tupelo July 5–21. :Camargo's Cross Roads, Harrisburg, July 13. :Tupelo July 14–15. :Old Town, or Tishamingo Creek, July 15. :Smith's Expedition to Oxford, Miss., August 1–30. :Tallahatchie River August 7–9. :Oxford August 9. :Abbeville August 23. :Moved to Duvall's Bluff, Ark., September 1; thence march through Arkansas and Missouri. :Light Artillery Reserve, Dept. of the Cumberland, to July, 1865. :Mustered out July 15, 1865.Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick Dyer. See also *List of Illinois Civil War Units *Illinois in the American Civil War Notes References *The Civil War Archive *Roster of personnel assigned to Battery E, 1st Illinois Light Artillery (Note: not all ranks listed are correct as of the end of the war) Category:Illinois Civil War regiments Category:Artillery units and formations of the American Civil War Category:1861 establishments in Illinois Category:Military units and formations established in 1861 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1865